African-American unemployment rate still high despite economic recovery

Job applicants fill out applications for positions at a new bar and restaurant in Detroit. PHOTO/Paul Sancya/AP

The US economy is growing again, but African-American women are still losing work – thank to public sector cuts. And racism.

When pressed about whether or not he feels an obligation to address the crisis of black unemployment, President Obama has supplied a reliably consistent answer over the past four years: a rising tide lifts all boats. That is to say, he is of the belief that as the economy gets better overall, it would certainly get better for African-Americans, as well.

The American economy has done better. Recovery has been slow and growth modest, but the answer to “are we better-off than we were four years ago?” is definitely “yes”. That is, if you’re talking overall. For African-Americans, the answer may be, “eh, not really”.

The national unemployment rate has gone down to 7.9 percent, but for African-Americans, it remains stuck in the teens – having gone up in the last jobs report before the election from 13.4 percent to 14.3 percent. This is because black job-seekers have to contend with something that does not come up in the Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report: racism.

Jobs that have traditionally been a means for African-Americans, especially African-American women, to enter the middle class have disappeared. Around 40 percent of the public sector jobs lost have been in local government education, where teachers, librarians, guidance counselors, administrators, and more have seen their jobs vanish. This is field dominated by women, and has been a safe bet for African-American women seeking employment…